Coreopsis plant named ‘Fruit Punch’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Coreopsis  plant named ‘Fruit Punch’ characterized by daisy-type flowers that grow to 5 cm in diameter, flowers that are white with a large, deep purple to red eye, grass green foliage on short stems, flowering for the whole summer, a dense, compact, mounding habit, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Coreopsis spp.

Variety designation: ‘Fruit Punch’.

Parentage: (Coreopsis ‘Heaven's Gate’×unknown).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Coreopsis and given the cultivar name ‘Fruit Punch’. Coreopsis is in the family Asteraceae. This new cultivar originated from an open pollinated cross of Coreopsis ‘Heaven's Gate’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,016) as the seed parent and an unknown proprietary Coreopsis as the pollen parent.

Compared to the seed parent, Coreopsis ‘Heaven's Gate’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,016), the new cultivar has flowers that are white with a red eye rather than pink with a dark center and the habit is much smaller and tighter.

Compared to Coreopsis ‘Garnet’, U.S. Plant Patent applied for concurrently, the new cultivar is white with a red eye rather than dark pink with a darker center.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of the new variety. These characteristics in combination distinguish Coreopsis ‘Fruit Punch’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. daisy-type flowers that grow to 5 cm in diameter,     -   2. flowers that are white with a large, deep purple to red eye,     -   3. grass green foliage on short stems,     -   4. flowering for the whole summer,     -   5. a dense, compact, mounding habit, and     -   6. excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttings and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The photograph shows a one-year-old Coreopsis ‘Fruit Punch’ growing in the ground in the trial field in August in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Coreopsis cultivar based on observations of six-month-old specimens growing in a 1 gallon pots in a warm greenhouse in July in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 6 to 9.         -   Size.—37 cm wide and 29 cm tall to top of inflorescences.         -   Form.—Mound.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, stems root easily from stem cuttings. -   Stem:     -   -   Type.—Ascending.         -   Size.—18 cm tall to where branches for flowering and 3 mm             wide.         -   Number of stems from the crown.—2 to 5.         -   Internode length.—2 cm to 5 cm.         -   Surface.—Glabrous.         -   Color.—Green 137B. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Oblanceolate to linear.         -   Arrangement.—Opposite.         -   Size.—Grows to 1 cm long and 6 mm wide.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margins.—Entire.         -   Petiole.—None.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous on top and bottom sides.         -   Venation.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Topside Green 137A, bottom side Green 137B. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Long stalked terminal heads of daisy type             inflorescences.         -   Peduncle.—Grows to 14 cm long, 1 mm wide, glabrous, Green             137B.         -   Size.—Grows to 5.5 cm wide and 10 mm deep.         -   Immature.—Globular, 8 mm wide and 7 mm deep, Green N137A on             the bottom half to Greyed Orange 164B on top half with             Greyed Purple 187A on the tip, glabrous.         -   Receptacle.—Convex, 5 mm wide and 2 mm deep, Yellow Green             148A.         -   Phyllaries.—In 2 series; first series closet to ray florets,             5 mm deep and 18 mm wide, 8 in number, each 9 mm long and             3.5 mm wide, ovate, margin entire, tip acute, glabrous on             both sides, from Green N137A at the base to Yellow Orange             23A to Greyed Purple 187B at the very tip; lower series in             an area 2 mm deep and 7 mm wide, 5 in number, 3 mm long and             2 mm wide, each ovate, margin entire, tip acute, both sides             glabrous and Green 137A with tips Greyed Purple 187A.         -   Lastingness.—Each inflorescence lasts about a week on the             plant. -   Florets:     -   -   Type.—Composite.         -   Ray florets.—8 in number with no pistil or stamen, grows to             25 mm long, 15 mm wide, obovate, with the tip three-lobed             with lobe tips obtuse and the central lobe the longest,             sometimes notched, sometimes quilled at base, margins             entire, base attenuate, glabrous on both sides; topside             bottom ⅔ closest to Red Purple 59A and top ⅓ White NN155A             tinted and margined Red Purple 59A, bottom side White NN155A             with Red Purple 59A on bottom half and margin.         -   Disc.—Conic, deeper with maturity, 8 mm wide and becoming 6             mm deep with maturity, Purple N79A.         -   Disc florets.—Tubular, with stamen and pistil, about 100 in             number, 6 mm long and 1 mm wide, tubular; corolla 3.5 mm             long, tube Yellow Orange 16C, lobes Purple N79A; pistil 1,             8.5 mm long, ovary 1.5 mm long, White 155A, style and stigma             6 mm long, stigma extruding, 2-branched, stigma and style             Yellow Orange 23A; stamen 5, anthers 1.5 mm long, Greyed             Purple N186A, pollen Orange 23A.         -   Bloom period.—June through September in Canby, Oreg.         -   Fragrance.—Light, Chrysanthemum-like.         -   Seed.—None seen.         -   Fertility.—Sterile. -   Disease and pests: Coreopsis are susceptible to mildew and fungal     spots. No resistance is known for this variety. No problems have     been seen in Canby, Oreg. 

1. A new and distinct Coreopsis plant as herein illustrated and described. 